Safety device for gas-holders.



A. R. GBUSE. i SAFETYV DEYIOE POR GAS HOLDERS. APLOATION FILED JULY 20, 1911.

Lmgq-a l Patented Jang, 1912 tures .STATES @ATENE hllll RTHUR R. CRUSE, `0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLYNA.

SAFETY DEVCE FOR GAS-HOLDERS.

Spec-ieation of `Letters Patent.

Patenten Jan. a, raie. l

Applicationvled July 20, 1911. Serial N o. 639,501.

in the following specification and shown in' the accompanying drawings which form a part thereof.

The object of my invention is to provide a' gasholder with an automatic seal to the outlet pipe or pipes and a relief to the holder adjacent to said seal when the holder is fully down and an exhauster or other pumping device is being employed for rapidly emptying the holder.

-Under the usual system of continuedworking of the exhauster or pump after the holder hasA been emptied of gas, there is, owing to the man hole constructionemployed about the delivery pipe, liability to exhaust theV water from the tank or wellinside of the seal formed by the man hole tube and thereby not flooding the pipes but producing a condition of vacuum Within the holder which at times causes the collapse of thecrown of the holder. By my improvements the flooding avoided and the ydanger of destruction of the holder is entirely obviated.

My invention consists of agas or other holder provided with a gas outlet pipe in communication with an exhauster or pum combined with an automatic valve Whic closes the gas outlet when the-holder is at or about its lowest normal position whereby the eXhauster or pump 'cannot eX- haust' the contents of the holder when in such position. l y

My invention also consists in the said "construction Where the holder is `further provided with a AWater seal about the outet pipe when the holder is down and a relief valve or device for automatically opening the seal to the atmosphere to prevent the seal being broken and also to' prevent a partial 'vacuum being produeed'within the holder;

My invention also oomprehends details of construction which,vtogether with the feaabove set torthvrill be better underof the pipes is stood by reference to the drawings, in -which- Figure l is a plan view of the seal and valve devices embodying my invention removed from the holder and with a portion broken away; F ig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the same applied to the holder, a portion of which and the outlet pipe are alone 'illustrated; and Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of the holder and exhauster with my improvements applied thereto.

2 is the gas holder and may be guided vertically in the Water tank 4 in any suitable manner, the illustration given in Fig. 3 being by Way of example onlyand as' a restriction in any manner of the gas holder structure. The top of the holder is shown as ilat but in practice the holders are made crown or dome shaped, but this is immaterial to my invention.

5 is the gas outlet pipe fromv the holder through which the gas may be drawn by an eXhauster 6. Any character of eXhauster or pump suitable 'for the purpose may be employed for exhausting the holder andforcing the gas into the mains to give the desired pressure for circulation.

rlhe top of the holder 2 above .the outlet pipe 5 is provided with a man-hole 7 which has a downwardly extending tubular part 8 which dips into the water around the top of the pipe 5 when Ythe holder is down to form a' water sealbetween the main space in the holder and the outlet pipe. The manhole is closed' at the top with a plate 9 detachably bolted in place. The interior wall of the upper part of the man-hole body is provided with vertical T shaped guides 11 for guiding a cover plate or valve 12 which lits tightly upon the top of the outlet pipe 5, when the holder is down, as illustrated in Fig. 2. The underside of this plate 12 and v top of the pipe 5 are faced so as to make a gas tight joint; and the weight of the plate or`valve 12 is suiiiciently heavy to seat positively upon the pipe against ob*- struction of fine dirt fand also to provide means for holding the relief valve closed against-the internal pressure of the. holder when raised, said relief valve to be now referred to.

The top of the man-,hole lcover is' provided with a vent holev and in lalinement with which is bolted the nozzle casting 15 which has vertical guides 19 at 'the top and also an annular groove 16 in which is arl valve 't8 it so desired though I prefer that janged a rubber gasket 17 reliet valve 1S may seatitselt when the holder is raised above its bottom position.l

lhe relief valve i8 is guided upon the guides 19 and is Connected to the cover plate or valve lf2. by the rod 133 which is secured to the relief valve at the top and Vto the cover plate at the bottom, the connection to the latter being by a screu7 and lock nuts above and below the plate to provide capacity :tor adjustment to control the distance bet-Ween the said parts Vlil-and 1S. The lower ends ot the guides ll may have sa tety clips 2() ot angle iron bolted in place to the webs ot' said guides to act as supports to catch the cover plate 12, should it become detached trom the rod 13 or relief valve 18, and thus prevent it i'alli-ngg,` on top of 'the pipe, 5 andiinjuring it or falling into the tank. lVilh this provision the cover plate 'would continue to act in a degree until the parts were again connected.

lt. will be ul'iderstood that the relief valve '18, being' held to its seat by the Weight ot the plate or valve '12, acts to held the pressure within the tanl( except when said valve is positively opened by the tank descending atter the cover plate l2 has come to rest upon the topfo't the outlet pipe 5 and a water seal has been established. It any tine dirt held the cover plate from properly1 seating upon the end olf the pipe 5. the suction olf' air through the relie'l valve into the man hole above the water seal and thence into the pipe 5, would in most cases suck in the dirt and clear the contacting surfaces. 'It \vill be see.. that at: the time the water seal is 'orined by the tubular part 8, the end o'li the pipe 5 should be sealed by the cover plate. the relief 'valve 18 is opened, so that, ilE the cover plate should from any cause l'ail to in'operly seat, suction ot' the exhauster is shi lted from 'the interior o'tl the tank and ivater seal to the atmospheric air .vhich enters through the relief valve 18. In this way all danger ot drawing `lvater into the pipe or ol' collapsing the holder is obviatod. I have shown a second outlet pipe i which may be employed in Conjunction with the pipe 5 it` so desired, and this would also be combined with the relief and cover plate constructions above described. ',lhe holder is, ot course, provided with a gas supply pipe as usual, but this I have not. shown as it. forms no part ol my invention.

l have illustrated my improvements in the i'orm l have adopted for commercial adapta tion of my inv ntion, and while l prefer the same, l do not restrict myself to the details of construction, as these may be modified without departing' trom the spirit of; the invention. flt. will further be understood that l may omit the use o'l therelieiC upon which the t it should be employed.

l'l'avingnon' described my invention', what l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isml. 'lhe combination ot' a gas or other holder, and an outlet pipe therefor, with a water seal tubular portion extending down :trom the top ot the holde about the outlet. pipe when the holder is down, a cover plate arranged above the outletpipe and guided vvithin the tubular iyaler seal portion, and means vtor suspending the cover plate Wit-h provision Jfor slight vertical mov-ement relatively to the holder.

2. 'lhe combination ot a gas or other holder, and an outlet pipe therefor, with a ivatcr seal tubular portion extending down Ytroni the top ot lhe holder about the outlet pipe'ivhen the holder is doun and provided u'ilh a vent aperture to the atmosphere, a4 coveriplat v arranged above the outlet pipe and f juided ivilhiu the tubular Water seal portion, a relief valve to close die vent aperture when the holder is raistd, and. means connectingl ivith the relief valve tor snspcnd'ingf the cover plate with proi'ision for .slight vertical movement relatively to the holder and tor raising` the relie't valve when` the cover plate seats upon` the outlet pipe and the holder descends. i

5%. The combination ot a gas or other holder. and an oullct pipe thereilor, With a water lseal tubular portion extending dtv'n. from the top ot the holder abont'the outlet pipe when the holder is down and provided with a vent aperture to the atmosphere, a cover plate arrangef'l above the outlet pipe and guided Within the tubular water seal bortion, a relief valve to close the vent idr.

erture when the holder is raised, means coni'ieeting with the reliet.' valve for suspending the cover plate with 'provision tor slight vertical movement relatively to the holder and `ior raising; lhe'rclict valve when the cover plate seats upon the outletpipe and the holder descends. and means carried by the water seal portion Vfor supporting the eover plate should it become detached from the suspendingmeans or relief valve.

l. .ln a gas or other holde structure, the eombination of a movable holder having a man-hole opening in its top, an outlet pipe opening from within the holder adjacent to the man-hole when the holder is down, a cover plate to'seal the outlet pipe when the holder is down, suspending devices for the cover plate to hold it: to the holder with pro vision for slight vertical movement relatively to the holder, and a removable cover for the man-hole in the holder carrying' the suspending devices.

5. 'lhe combination otl a gas or other holder having an outlet pipe," and an exhauster sucking upon the holder through the outlet los A and relatively to the relief valve.

pipe, with a cover plate to seal the outlet v pipe When the holder is down, suspending devices for t-he cover plate to'holdit to the holder with provision for slight vertical movement relatively to the holder, guidingdevices 011 the holder for guiding tliecover plate vertically and holding it against lat` eral displacement, and separate safety supports normally out of Contact with the cover plate and carried by the holder for limiting the downward movement of the cover plate and holding it substantially horizontal should it become detached.

6. The combination of av gas or other holder, and an outlet pipe therefor, with a water seal tubular portion extending down from the top of the holder about the outlet pipe when the holder is down and provided with a vent aperture to the atmosphere, a cover plate arranged above' the outlet pipe and guided Within the yubular water' seal portion, a relief valve to close the vent aperture when the holder is raised, means connecting with therelief' valve for suspending the cover plate with provision for slight vertical movement relatively to the holder and for raising the relief valve 'when the cover plate seats upon the outletpipe and the holder descends, andmeans for adjusting the distance apart of the lcover plate Ihe combination of the holder having thc man-hole structure comprising a tubular'I part extending down into the holder and a man-holecover on arranged to be surrounded by the part as the holder descends, a cover plate guided upon the guides and arranged to seal the4 entrance to the outlet pipe when the lowered,

the cover plate seals the outlet pipe and vice versa.

8. In a gas or other holder-structure, the combination of a well, a movable holder adapted to move vertically with respect to the well said holder having a raised inanhole chamber extending above the top plate of the said holder, an outlet pipe leading from the well and having' its end extending up into the man-hole chamber when the holder is fully down, a cover plate arranged within the man-hole chamber, and supporting means for the cover plate to hold it within thg man-hole chamber with pro 7ision for slight vertical movement relative y to the holder.

9. The combination of a gas or other holder structure 4comprising a vertically movableholder and waterseal, with an outlet pipe having an opening arranged near the crown or top of the movable holder when a man-hole structure "opening through the crown or top of the movable holder immediately above the opening into the voutlet pipe, a cover plate arranged be low the man-hole to seal the opening into the outlet pipe when the holder is down, and

suspending devices for the crown plate to hold it to the holder with provision for slight vertical movement relatively to the holder; 4

ln testimony of which invention, I hereunto set my hand.

ARTHUR R, CRUSE. Witnesses:

W'M. KONZELMANN, lVAL'rEii L. Siinrrnnn. 

